Garden Trail

I never knew the late owner - and resident of 40 years - of Pengersick Castle, the late Angela Evans, who passed away in November 2008.

But I feel sure she would be happy in the knowledge that the trust that was formed in her lifetime, the Pengersick Historic and Education Trust, is now beginning the process of restoration of both the Tudor tower and its surrounding and potentially very beautiful historic garden.

There is already, a very special aura to this place, situated in its wooded seclusion, only a few hundred yards from the beach and holiday lets of Praa Sands, but presenting what remains of an altogether very different world.

The tower is pretty well all that survives intact of what was once, more than 500 years ago, a fully complemented fortified Tudor manor house, though there is much archaeological evidence to prove that people were established and living here long before that, and certainly from the early Middle Ages if not before.

It is quite well known that the building is one of the most haunted in Europe and sufficient evidence has amassed from believers in the supernatural to support this.

Cynicism

I have to say that, personally, I keep an open mind on such matters and maybe this is a mingling of cynicism and perhaps the fear of the truth. Whichever it is, in my own mind, I'm not as perceptive to these things as some, though having said this, I can't see me taking up an invitation to stay there overnight somehow, which kind of says it all.

Still, I write today purely from my own perspective as a plantsman gardener.

I have been making the journey from Helston to Penzance, on and off, for more than five years now, but it wasn't until this spring that I made my first acquaintance with Pengersick, on a cloudy day with the crows making rather a din, nesting high up in the rooftops of the surrounding woodland. The special atmosphere of Pengersick was immediately tangible ... even within that first ten minutes.

Angela was incredibly enthusiastic about the long-term future of Pengersick and its garden.

As a passionate gardener herself, the enormity of this custodianship must have weighed quite heavy on her, which, coupled with her increasing frailty, must have been incredibly frustrating. The garden had lain unattended for some time but over the past few months giant strides have been made to bring the existing lawns and borders under control.

There are plans afoot for a restored Tudor knot garden, to complement the long-established plantings of old damask and gallica roses, including the apothecary's rose (Rosa gallica 'officinalis' and Rosa mundi), dating back to Henry II, both of which were around in Tudor times and which have looked lovely for many years now at the castle.

Knot gardens were planted to mimic Tudor embroidery and consisted of low-growing hedges of box, santolina or germander. These (often of formal and symmetrical design) were interwoven, and often interplanted with flowers of the period.

Shakespeare

A garden of flowers grown in the time of Shakespeare and often mentioned in his plays and sonnets might associate well with the Tudor feel of the main garden. These might include heartease (violet), woodbine (honeysuckle), eglantyne (sweet briar rose) and violets and gillyflowers (wallflowers, clove, and pinks).

Through the archway lies the remains of a chapel and a surrounding medieval garden will be sympathetically replanted and well labelled to help sustain the trust's educational proviso.

Here would have grown many 'physic' or medicinal plants in raised beds, enveloped with lattices of woven willow or hazel. For use in the household there would be found sage, soapwort and tansy. For dreams and depression were planted poppy, feverfew and borage; orris, mallow and calamint for bites and stings; balm, sweet cicely and chickweed for use in animal husbandry.

Beautiful and largely intact original stone walls would, in the medieval garden, have contained seating areas of grass or chamomile.

Medieval

On into the woodland and there are still to be found remaining apple trees from what would have been a medieval orchard. How wonderful to uncover these light-starved trees from the dark cloak of surrounding sycamore trees.

And of course not forgetting the medieval, flowery mead - a meadow area planted with fine grasses, cowslips, wild daffodils, snakes-head fritillaries, sow-breads (cyclamen), meadowsweet, saffron crocus and other plants of the time.

Jay Hodgetts, chairman of The Pengersick Historic and Education Trust, has a background in horticulture himself and pledges to carry out a restoration plan for Pengersick of which Angela would have been proud.

He wants to ensure that any new plantings are true to the nature of Pengersick and its Tudor and Medieval history and insists that much research will be done to fulfil this criteria. With the help of English Heritage, conservation, tree and archaeological officers and advisors, Pengersick should again take a proud place in Cornwall's history.

If anyone is interested in becoming a Friend of Pengersick, please contact enquiries@pengersickcastle.com.

A grand reopening of Pengersick Castle and Garden will take place in June 2012.

This article reproduced by kind permission of West Briton

You can see some more photos of the garden restoration by clicking here

Read about the renovation of the garden by clicking here